27 November 2014

Hunua Ranges Pest Management Area to make significant difference, says Auckland Council

The creation of a new pest management area in the Hunua Ranges will provide a sensible, holistic approach to the care and control of one of Auckland’s most important ecological areas, according to Auckland Council.

A successful collaboration between the Auckland and Waikato regional councils has led to the creation of the Hunua Ranges Pest Management Area, which will unify the work being done to manage the area.

Comprising the Hunua Ranges regional parks (including Whakatiwai and Waharau) and an adjoining buffer area, a consistent pest management programme in the Waikato Regional Pest Management Plan (RPMP) will now be implemented under the management of Auckland Council.

Auckland Council Environment, Climate Change and Natural Heritage Committee Chairperson Councillor Wayne Walker says that the agreement is an important step towards improving care of the ranges.

“We are pleased that we have been able to work with Waikato Regional Council to enhance our commitment to caring for this incredibly important ecological and water catchment area,” he says.

“This joined-up approach will mean that the residents of the area and the wider Auckland population can be assured that there is a comprehensive and efficient pest management plan in place.

“It will safeguard the future of the ranges from several invasive pests, including provisions to combat kauri dieback, better manage the feral pigs and goats that roam the ranges, through control and permitted hunting, and prevent feral deer establishing there.

“This will make a significant difference to the management of the area, and make pest management in the area more transparent and efficient,” he says.

The agreement to create the management area stems from the 2010 boundary adjustments, which meant that each council became responsible for a part of the ranges.

Kevin Collins, Natural Heritage Programme Manager from Waikato Regional Council says that the unified approach was the best way forward.

“Because Auckland Council park land makes up most of the Hunua Ranges area inside the Waikato regional boundary, it made sense for them to be the official management agency.

“The high ecological values in that area are important to both councils and a coordinated approach is crucial to effective pest management and disease prevention.”

This agreement was reported to the Auckland Council Environment, Climate Change and Natural Heritage Committee yesterday.

Within the Hunua Ranges Pest Management Area:
• Auckland Council is the pest management agency and is responsible for the management of new incursions;
• The organism Phytophthora taxon Agathis (or PTA) which causes kauri die back is declared a pest with a management category of exclusion;
• Feral pigs and goats are declared pests with a management category of eradication – these animals are currently managed by control and permitted (recreational) hunting
• Feral deer are declared pests with a management category of exclusion/eradication – there are no feral deer in the Hunua Ranges parklands
• Possums have a management category of sustained control to a residual trap catch level below three per cent
• An example of Auckland Council’s approach to increased pest management work in the Hunua Ranges parklands, that is already underway, includes the planned aerial application of 1080 in mid-2015 to combat increasing animal pest numbers and protect the flora and fauna of the ranges area.

ENDS

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